Association eNews: Feb. 23, 2012

2012 USBC ConventionThe 2012 USBC Convention and Annual Meeting will be held April 24-28 in Arlington, Texas. Special for delegates this year, the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame will extend its hours. The hours of the IBMHOF during Convention week are:

In addition, simply show your delegate badge and admission is just $5 (normal admission cost is $9.50). No prior registration is needed and a trolley will be available Wednesday and Thursday to take those interested from the Sheraton to the International Bowling Campus and back. For more information on transportation during Convention week, please click here.

Tickets also now are available on BOWL.com/convention for the USBC Queens TV show (go to the 2012 Information tab and click on Register). For $50, you get a ticket to the live television finals as well as entry into the VIP reception prior to the TV show, including snacks and an open bar from 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. Seats are limited, so make sure to get your tickets today.

2013 Senior Championships updateUSBC is happy to announce a new age division for the 2013 USBC Senior Championships! The 50-54 age category will be offered in both the Open and Women’s divisions starting with the 2013 national tournament.

The 50-54 year olds are able to bowl in our Senior Masters and Senior Queens along with being considered a senior at age 50 in the Open and Women’s Championships. Taking those points into considerations along with feedback from some state association managers, we felt this age group should have representation at the USBC Senior Championships.

Please remember that the bowlers in that age group would have to qualify this year to be eligible to participate in 2013.

We hope that you are able to add this to your events for this year. Those that need any assistance or have questions regarding this change, please don’t hesitate to call Brian Whitman at 1-800-514-2695 ext. 8251 or email at brian.whitman@bowl.com.

Center Certification for 2011-12At the beginning of the week, USBC started sending letters to local associations and some of their centers stating the center was not certified for the 2011-12 season. There are two versions of this letter. The first letter contained information pertaining to Pending Status, meaning the center was inspected but needed some items corrected to USBC standards before we can certify. The second letter stated the center is on our "Not Certified" list, meaning the center has yet to have an inspection.

In both cases, the center is in jeopardy of losing its certification status and we will be notifying the league secretaries of this issue in the near future.

If any of these letters were received in error, please contact Steve Boyle at 1-800-514-2695 ext. 8407 or via email at steve.boyle@bowl.com.New promotion allows Roll ‘N Grow members to buy a jersey for $5New USBC Roll ‘N Grow members in Roll ‘N Grow leagues that start March 15 or later will be able to purchase the 2011-12 USBC Youth jersey for just $5.

The Roll ‘N Grow membership was created for ages 7 and under, and costs just $8. Members receive a USBC Youth membership card, the Bowlopolis Series 1 DVD, a Bowlopolis progress card with award stickers and much, much more.

This is a limited time offer. The offer ends July 31, 2012. Go to the youth page of BOWL.com now to learn more about youth membership options. Legislative Update meetingsThe first two weekends of Legislative Updates have been completed and we have received some great feedback from association officials. We still need as much information from the field as possible, so please save the following dates as we encourage you to attend one of these sessions:

Association managers and presidents, please pass this information to your association’s delegates and members, as the information will be important for the 2012 USBC Annual Meeting.

If more information is needed, please contact your Regional Manager.

Bowlers Ed programStudents at John Adams Elementary School in Scranton, Pa., recently learned about the sport of bowling in gym class. Students acted as bowlers, pinsetters, scorers and ball returners as they used the in-school bowling equipment.

This experience was made possible through the partnership formed through the Bowler’s Ed program with Idle Hour Lanes. The Bowler’s Ed In-School program was developed to introduce the sport of bowling to students as a part of their physical education class. The teacher’s curriculum was designed for students in grades K-8.

To read further information about the Bowler’s Ed program and how associations may be able to use it to assist others in their area, please go to bowlersed.com, or click here.